Wednesday, April 30, 2008

This month, April, we've had only 13 articles (including this one), compared to last month's 25. Oh well, 25 will still be the record for now.

Back to the subject. April's theme was: Pride and Prejudice. I was really hoping for a lot of good articles, but as it turns out, 'pride and prejudice' is just too much of a good theme. Both pride and prejudice are extremely strong and varying things, which made it harder to write about. Everyone has their opinions on what 'pride' and 'prejudice' is.

As usual, the following is a summary for April's articles. If you would like to view any of them, locate the article title under the month 'April' on the right side of the blog, under 'Blog Archive'.

Faux Pas: Feeling like reading something random?HELLO, Greetings, Salutations...: One word, one world.Hard to Explain: What's the real meaning of 'malaise'?Hypothetically Speaking: Real-world, humorous dramatization of prejudice.The Privilege of Childhood: We all had our good, young days.A Matter of Life and Death: Life is simple...or is it?Now There's Just No Point: Walking blind isn't the only problem in life.And I'm the only one to blame: Pride can speak a lot for itself.To Here Knows When: Who and what do you consider yourself as?Pride's Gettin' in the Way: The little pest that gets in everyone's way.Warning: Not for Cavity-Conscious People: All sweet-tooth s welcomed!Pardon Me: Darn, give me a break, Pride!

Even though we had only a small amount of articles this month, they had strong messages in each and every one. Quantity doesn't always necessarily mean quality!

Thanks for voting in April's polls. Let's cheer for next month's theme: Desperation and Greed!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Here are just some random snippets in which I attempt to instinctively include as many bizarre and mindless words all meaning almost the exact same thing, while haphazardly looking up a dictionary for words that all mean that exact same thing because I have just absolutely and utterly failed my self-proposed mission; which means I’m a failure. Again. Obviously.

Apparently people fail at a lot of things. Of course, that would have to happen. If everybody didn’t fail, nobody would succeed. Then again, how can you consider that winning when somebody loses? (Scatman John, you are a genius)

Apparently I’m feeling a bit chaotic and random today, seeing how I’ve been reading the most random and insane book I’ve ever attempted to digest in my whole life.

I guess you could contribute that to being a bit hyper off of…nothing really. Guess that’s what happens when you’re a bit happier than usual.

Then there's that "sugar Down". The period when you sort of cool off, and sit back, and stop twitching.

So what are the things that you enjoy? The magnificence and joys of life, at least in your perspective, that you enjoy seeing, hearing, etc. The stuff that makes you smile. It can be anything really. Something that’s just incredulously silly, funny, or hilarious. It can be something with meaning, or something you relate to. Perhaps, the best kind of whatever it is that I’m talking about, is the kind that just touches you. Other people could be what the bazongawudgerfudglebadgarous (is that a new red Gretsch i see?) are you talking about? Yet all you’ll do is laugh and smile, or maybe in your head.

Most people are confused. Simply, they don’t know what to do. Isn’t that what mid-life crises are? I just can’t imagine older people, they’ve been through a lot, and just don’t know what to do with themselves. People go through the same routine everyday, and nothing happens. They wait a million hours for a billion grains of sand to fall, and at the end, all they get is a slice of cake. What a waste of time that was.

Weird. Your weird. I’m weird. We’re all weird. Everybody’s special, so that means nobody is. So if you try not to special, then your not special, and if you try to be special and different, your still not. What a load of **** that is. Who cares?!

Is it just me, or do i sound like I'm drunk, high, or about to die (haha...rhymes), because I'm perfectly fine and not doing any of those things.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The word that you say when you're frustrated by your stupidity ("HELLO?! What was I even THINKING?")

It's such a universal word. You can go to another part of the world, and say "Hello", and they will understand. (So, technically, you know at least one word in every language). The very word itself brings a sense of hospitality when you greet someone. What a simple, yet, sophisticated word it is.

Of course, "Hello" may not always be so kind. It all depends on the tone in which you say the word. Are you greeting a houseguest? Are you greeting an enemy? Are you reluctantly greeting someone that you didn't want to meet? They all belong in a different tone of voice.

As you already know (and I assume that you do...if you're capable of reading this article, then you're old enough), "Hello" has many uses. That is why you can see the word being used in every aspect of life. Maybe it's that Target commercial..."You say goodbuy [they changed it to goodbuy for the commercial version], I say hello, I say hello." Or maybe it's Lionel Richie's infamous Hello song? Oh, and how about that little voice that suddenly pops out of your Motorola phone when you turn it on?..."Hello, Moto."

You yell "Hello?" in a store to see if anybody is there. You ask "Hello?" to see if someone has occupied a fitting room. You say "Hello?" while poking an animal to see if it's dead. You say "Hello" to someone because...well, you have nothing else to say to them.

But as always, "Hello" will always become the start of something new. Try saying "Hello" to new dreams, and greet the future. Don't mind saying "Hello" to a new student in your class. Who knows? They might become a life-long pal.

-the clam.

P.S. I just noticed--this is our 50th article on the blog! -throws confetti- Here's to another 50...or 100...or 1000...or 10000000000000 more!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

What is general fatigue? Is it being dead tired, being unable to handle things anymore, or is it just not wanting to do anything anymore? Apparently, or supposedly, it’s all of those things. There’s that term malaise, which is a general medical uneasiness, which could be a symptom of illness. Then, there’s the term winder malaise, which is more of a “depressed” and “tired” kind of malaise, often associated with the conditions winter bring.

Fatigue can probably be both mental and physical. The winter malaise could be considered maybe more of a mental fatigue, perhaps. Physical fatigue is probably just being dead tired. Your body is just physically exhausted, and can’t take it anymore.

Mental fatigue is being worked out…mentally, obviously. It can be lethargy, apathy, depression, etc., etc. Your just so tired of everything around you, and you just want to get the **** out of wherever you are. Back to who knows where, you probably don’t even know. You just know you sure want to get out that stupid place, the place that just crawls up your back, and drops a brick right on it. You don’t know where you’d want to go, or what you’d want to do. Even when you sit there for hours, staring at that empty canvas, you can’t imagine a single stroke of lively paint brightening that blank slate. You don’t know where to start, and so you don’t know how you canend.

There are people out there who are just so tired of the situation they’re in. They’ve been patient for so long, and the fruits of their labor have yet to bloom. From counselors, psychiatrists, oncologists, teachers, menial workers, and many others, they all could very well be wishing it (whatever “it” is) to be over with. You don’t even have to be the one suffering, seeing suffering day in and day out is enough already.

Perhaps both mental and physical fatigues are combined. Wouldn’t it make sense to feel bogged down when your legs and arms can’t even move anymore? Or vice-versa, being so worn-out, your legs and arms don’t want to move?

But what am I complaining about, not that I’m really complaining about anything specific. I haven’t done anything special to deserve any pity, or anything else for that matter. There isn’t much wrong with my life is there?...

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Dinner time is family time, yet for (insert name here), he/she find him/herself sitting at a quiet table every night eating (insert food here).

Okay, let's just call the person 'Bob'; it's universal.

So everyday, Bob sits at a quiet table- or more, he sits at a table where one person is watching T.V., two are under a lot of stress, the third can't wait to leave the house, and he himself just wants to talk about his day.

"Tomorrow I'm going out after school," he says, and instantly the table has given him their attention.

"Amazing," T.V. watcher says as she continues to watch her show, "That man has no heart! This is a horrible show." Despite this, she continues to watch.

"Who's going with you?" Says the third person who wants to leave (let's call him 'rob').

"Oh just a few friends," Bob shrugs; it's not that big of a deal.

"Don't talk to any strangers," Stressed out number one says, "There are a lot of bad people in the world."

"Yes! Don't talk to any of those Mexican guys," T.V. watcher says, turning her 'wise' eyes at you. "They're dangerous and not good."

Bob, laughs this, he knows that his best friend is well... Mexican.

"You can't say that!" He says.

"Yes," Stressed out number two says, "But we're just warning you, because a lot of the time they're not exactly that good of people."

"Look at the Black people!" T.V. show watcher says, "I watch the news and they always get arrested! Them and the Mexican guys."

"Yes, but not all people are like that you know," Rob says, "I mean a lot of African Americans are smart and successful."

"They also love to dance. I watch them on T.V. and wahhh they're so good. But they always wear their clothing so low." T.V. Watcher turns back to the T.V. "Hahahaha, that's funny, Stella just got hit on by a worker, and it turns out that the worker is her long lost brother! But it's so pointless. This show is boring."

"So can I go out tomorrow, or are there too many Black people and Mexican guys?" Bob asks.

"Don't say it like that," Stressed out number one says. "Never let them here you talk about them like that, if they hear you say that, they'll hit you without hesitation! Where I work, all the Black people are so rude."

"And they eat a lot of fried stuff," T.V. Watcher says. "Their people always eat that kind of stuff."

It's back to babbling about random-stuff-that-doesn't-relate-to-the-theme.

This time, I'm going to delve back into my past...way, way back. The time when I still chewed on tissue and swallowed gum and made sound effects with my mouth while playing action figures.

Childhood is seriously the best time of our lives. We get to play, mess around, have fun, and not ever have to care about the world. We had people that watched over us, we had people who fed us, and we could eat everything we wanted and not have to worry about your health (well, maybe not the tissue and gum).

It's also the time we do completely absurd things—you know, the things that we look back on and we start laughing, "Oh my god, I did WHAT? I so did not walk down an aisle hand-in-hand with a flowergirl holding a pillow with a ring on it." ...yes, I did that.

One of the things I laugh about myself were my imaginative stories that I wrote. Here's an excerpt from a story I wrote, Mike and the Mystery of Tike, way back when I was eight years old:

"There lived a boy named Mike MaCarthy. He just loves frogs and toads so much that his parents bought him a toad. He named it Tike. One day in school, his best friend Mark said that he loves frogs and toads too but his parents wouldn't let him. Mike was sorry for him. Mark even said he tried to go to the pond and catch his own toad. But Mike knew that he wouldn't catch it because he isn't even good at catching a ball!"

Yeah, that was one of my better-grammared one (by the way, I left it genuinely as it is). If you're wondering, the story goes on and Mike had to 'solve the mystery' to find his lost toad. Turns out, his friend took it.

One of other 'mystery'-themed stories was Where's Kim?:

"One morning,, the Tyson family was getting ready for a trip to Las Vegas. "Hurry up kids! We're about to go!", shouted Mr. Tyson. "All right!", yelled both of the sisters, Kathy and Kim...While Mr. Tyson was driving, both sisters played. Kim was 6 years old so she played with kid stuffs. Kathy was 13 so she write, draw, and do what other teenagers do."

Same as before, I left it genuinely as it is, grammar and all. The story continues on, and Kim gets kidnapped while sitting at a McDonald's restaurant, where her sister failed at her babysitting skills. They went on a wild goose chase, and eventually tracked Kim down at the MGM, where the kidnapper was about to blow up a bomb. They managed to save Kim in time. YES, I know, lengthy and weird...but that's what I thought was 'cool' back then.

Anyways, I would dive into my old second grade journal, but I feel lazy. But I'll tell you, you'll be laughing on the ground by the time I finish telling you what I wrote in my journal...but I won't, so sit right where you are.

And yes, I did make funky sounds while playing with my action figures. Hey, it was fun you know.

Life is simple. Life is complicated. Life is long. Life is short. Life doesn’t make sense. Life is all we know. All experiences are personal, and different to each of us. Like fingerprints. Of course there are similar experiences that we all can relate to, but we’ll never know exactly how someone else feels or reacts. We are alone. Yet we are united in that very sense. Aloneness. There are some things we can only do alone. And there are some things we can only do together. Question everything. Then question yourself and why you question everything. Or question nothing. Maybe some things aren’t supposed to be questioned. Maybe some things just are and will always be.

And out of nowhere...

What do you want? You could look at it and say, “A triple fudge sundae would be good right now,” or “To be a genius and make millions of dollars a year!” or “To save the world from (blank)” or think about it and realize you DON’T know what you want actually or maybe all the choices above combined. Besides, weren’t geniuses insane? And didn’t Van Gogh cut off his ear? The whole bit about the artist must suffer/sacrifice for their art is a bit cliché, but true, no? But it doesn’t make sense. Why do we have to suffer to gain something or create something beautiful or do anything that makes us different? The best and worst things in the world don’t make sense. It’s also ironic. Almost like someone is watching the world and getting a kick out of the wacked out things we do with our lives. We’re all in a sitcom and we just don’t know it. And somewhere they are playing a laughter track in tune with our lives.I just realized that I’m asking you a lot of questions. Answer them. Just say so out loud to nobody in particular. Sometimes, it’s not about someone else hearing you but hearing yourself and listening to what you have to say. You’d be surprised.

A whole lot of contradiction...

Does this article make perfect sense to you yet leaves you in deep confusion? Is it silly yet deep? Good, because that was the whole point or... maybe it wasn’t. I don’t even remember my point. I suppose I have no point and just wrote. If I die the minute after I publish this article, this bunch of gibberish would be the last thing I leave behind. For some reason, that amuses me. Okay, I just read that last part over and it sounds like I said death amuses me. Err...That came out wrong. I meant the part about this article. Okay, this is ending on an awkward note. But you know what? That’s alright. Because... well, I don’t know why exactly, but I have this feeling it is.

You can mean everything to someone and mean nothing at all to someone else.What a sweet cynical world we have.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

What’s the point these days? All we do is walk blind, reaching for a lamp that’s not there, feeling for walls that don’t exist. All we end up doing is either falling off that ever so narrow ledge, or sitting down in the darkness.

None of us have a floorplan to follow in life. No kind of blueprint that’s been vigilantly scoured over for mistakes and errors. We’ll all knock down a house accidentally one day, or incorrectly wire a circuit, blazing a whole house down. It’s a shame there’s not much you can do about it. Perhaps, it’s more of a sham. What’s the point? Why should we try so hard? We don’t deserve this, we’re better than that.

Truth is, we aren’t. Not even close, to be a bit more precise. What have we done to not deserve such a hard time? Sure there are people who are absolutely terrific, and have done wonderful things for others. Those people deserve it, but how many of them are there out there? Clearly not enough.

Well, we can’t be so negative (haha). Again and again, what can you learn when your always right? You live and learn from mistakes. Although some obvious ones could be quite harmful, most you just have to go through. Hopefully, at the end of the day, there you’ll stand again, waiting for the next day’s hardships to slam your frame silly (or slap you silly).

So, when you're in the dark, might as well just sing, dance, and go crazy while you're there!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Sometimes, I really think I lack a big thing called pride. Pride is supposed to be that big, whoop-de-doo feeling you get when you accomplish something small, something important, something big.......Pride is that proud feeling of undefeat, when you feel as if nothing can stop you at all.

Pride can be a wonderful thing. It shows your self-confidence, your ability to be the best of what you can be, to feel like the world...!

But you know that one feeling you get? When you feel as if you're the absolute best there is, and no one can top that?? That's pride also, but that's when pride gets out of hand. It's when pride becomes cockiness, conceit, and very rotten. This is when resentment forms, even though "Hate" is a very strong word. Pride may get the best of you.

The absolute opposite of pride? I'd like to say disappointment. Ever feel like you're just not good enough? Oh, I'm sure; I'm feel it all the time, too. It turns to upset and frustration.

Pride and disappointment show all the time, especially in SPORTS. It's crazy.

"Why didn't coach play me? I'm a benchwarmer now??"

"I cost us our game...It's all my fault. If only i made that basket!"

Believe it or not, many people go hard on themselves, and that's good, really. But it's not usually necessary and ends up bringing people down. It really depends if you play more as an individual or as a team.Aside from that, families are a big deal at sporting events, too. They make a difference. There are two types: the supportive family:

"Good job!"...

"You're doing great! Keep it up!"...

"Defense!"...

"Don't worry about it, you'll do better next time"...

And then there are people like my "supportive" family:

The father figure had not shown up at a single softball game because "softball is boring"...

Instead of a "good job" after an exhausting basketball game, you get a "You could've ran faster." or

"You lost again??" or "

Your shooting position is not correct."

and all this other shitty feedback that you've already heard too many times.

You tell yourself,

I've improved...

I DID play better this time...

You could not run as fast as I just had, up and down that court.

I WAS good enough!

But sometimes, "good enough" is not GOOD ENOUGH...And this is disappointment. Frustration that you've got no support, but shakes of head instead. Criticism at every little thing you do, right OR wrong. Upset because you should've done better? What happened to pride here, people? What happened to that big grin you'd get after stirking out three batters in a row? That whip of joy you'd get after you score a goal. What happened to roaring crowds and claps and cheers? See those people celebrating? That should've been us...That could've been us...

During my brief hiatus, I got some new stuff, which made me pretty happy

Prejudice is a thought or feeling conceived before actually knowing the truth. It’s everywhere, and even if you say you aren’t, you are prejudiced. Stereotypes are all around us, and inside us. Yes, we all love to say that we aren’t stereotypical. Many of us actually try not to, which is great. Still, prejudice is there. Whether if it's because race, sex, color, social standing, sexuality, age, or plenty of others, it's out there.

Plenty of people hate young kids, and think they’re annoying little brats. Although to an extent, that’s sort of true. Others hate old people, thinking they’re just grumpy and arrogant. Maybe people dress different, who cares? People like different kinds of music, obviously. From folk to hip-hop, blues to jazz, maybe even some kind of blend of pop and techno, who knows? Not everybody’s the same.

Another annoying thing is people who always try to stay out of the “norm”. Those who consistently attempt to be “different” and discriminate against others for a variety of stupid reasons are the ones. These people have already formed their own label, which could be anything from weirdo to as***le. The individualist became a conformist the second he/she became an individualist. So, as I’ve said earlier before, screw you all! (not literally, but figuratively…)

optimistic pessimist or pessimistic optimist?to love or hate?living?...or just existing?living to die? or dying to live?

Monday, April 14, 2008

Oh the poor thing. This blog has been neglected for so long. I mean, two articles so far for half a month? This has got to be our lowest ever! (not that this blog has been living that long...it's only two and a half months old, anyway :P).

Pride is the sole reason why we all do things that aren't necessary. It's the barrier that keeps us from doing what has to be done, just because you're afraid of damaging your 'image'. But it's true, and we can't live without pride. If there wasn't pride, 'embarrassment' wouldn't exist either. We do things our friends expect us to do, not something that has to be done.

But pride is just a little, taunting road that's begging you to do what it wants. If you find yourself trying to do better and better, but you don't get a response, then there's something wrong. Think of it like yelling down a cave and not hearing an echo—that's the time you should start reanalyzing yourself. You're just doing things the way that'll keep you out of embarrassment, yet, you don't realize that you're hurting yourself along the way.

Everything exists and happens for a reason, and pride belongs to that category. Pride is your little buddy that sits on your shoulder and nags you to do stuff—whether it be something bad or something beneficial to yourself (depending on the situation). If someone was tempting you to do drugs, and they start making fun of you just because you're refusing to do so, pride starts to kick in, and if you're not able to fight back, you're going to find yourself smoking and killing yourself. The reason why? Because you're trying to keep yourself looking 'cool'. If you have common sense, then obviously, that isn't 'cool' in any way. I'm sorry, but if you don't agree with me, then you'll realize the consequences sometime later in the future.

Just remember to consider pride. Think about your decision, and make sure it's a smart one—if it's going to be a good factor to your life or not. Don't tell me "Oh, but what if I don't know if it's beneficial to me or not? How should I decide?". It's in you somewhere. No one else is going to know but you, so think deeply.

Alright. That was my opinion on 'pride', and how I view it in my own perspective. You might not agree, and I won't argue. Everyone's opinion is different, after all.

My ten minutes of my cheesy therapeutic session is over. Go and do your homework, eat your dinner, play your videogames, take care of your kids, pay the bills...whoever and whatever age you are. Life always comes first!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Alright. Because I feel a bit hysterical at the moment, I'll veer off from the month's theme. This is probably the longest gap in between the previous article and a new one (DD's article wayyy back on April Fool's).

Okay. Let's get to the point. Who doesn't love (except for cavity-conscious people):

CANDY!!

In fact, I'm chewing on a very delectable piece of Milk Dud. Yummy...nysh caramel shenter with uh thin layer of shocolate. –swallows- Excuse me. That small caramel sticky-bomb can get extremely sticky to your teeth. It barely allows you to even talk. Kinda' like peanut butter.

It's good to have candy once in a while (emphasis on once in a while). I don't want to be blamed for the five cavities you're about to have just by reading this article.

Ooh, how about Whoppers? A crunchy center with a nice, layer of milk chocolate on the outside. Not as cavity-dangerous, and much faster to consume than a Milk Dud. I find it funny how they come in giant, quart-sized milk cartons.

Both of the candies mentioned above are manufactured by Hershey's. I love Hershey's. Their milk chocolate bars and white chocolate bars are really sweet...and yummy. Haha, I consider everything yummy. I become untrollably hyper after eating a Hershey's bar.

What other chocolate bars are there? OH! Crunch is also good. Those pesky small little rice crispies all scattered within the chocolate. The Three Musketeers, Milky Way, and Heath Bars. De.lic.ious!

"Baby Bottle Pop, Baby Bottle Pop! You can lick it, shake it, and dunk it!" I know that sounds a bit...weird. But that was the 'in' candy back then. Past popular candies also include Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit Gushers, Fruit by the Foot, and Ring Pops. Hey—that doesn't mean you should go propose to your girlfriend with that. She'll slap you in the face (or laugh like a maniac...and then slap you in the face).

Or, if you'd like a more fiery taste, try Hot Tamales. They'll give you a nice sting. Don't eat too much though...you'll be crying.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Pride can do a lot of things. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s definitely there. It’s that invisible, constant force that draws people to do things. It’s sort of like gravity. It’s the thing that makes you say no thank you to charity, the thing that makes you refuse the obvious, and the thing that just kills you when you lose.

Is pride being chivalrous, or being cocky and brash? Most likely, it’s the latter. While it’s ok just to say no thank you for something, some could consider that a deed of politeness. More often, pride can be described as being a sore-loser, ungrateful, and arrogant.

Do you always submit to authority, feel absolutely dandy when you lose, and feel terrible when you’ve just had a great accomplishment? It’s not always good to always be subjected and controlled by others, or is it not always good to be too boastful. Pride causes these things, and it can cause more. Pride can be related to greed, envy, and probably several other terrible things that plague people.

Getting away from all that; sports can be a magical thing. When you’re really getting into the game, if its soccer, basketball, baseball, or anything else, you don’t think about anything else. All you think about is winning, how you’re going to do it, and actually getting it done. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing with, sports can bond teammates together, regardless of who (most of the time, at least). Most exceptions come from people who don’t really care about the game, are just jerks, or just sit around (not caring).

There are a lot of different kinds of songs.There are happy, sad, catchy, poppy, sparse, heavy, dense, depressing, just weird, and…(there are a million different usable words that would fit there).But one kind always really reaches out to me. It’s that sad song that’s not depressing, not heavy, not dense, nothing that just jumps out at you. It’s that sad song that makes you happy, just because it’s so…beautiful. I’m not talking about that sad song that’s just melancholic, or that angry song you listen to when you’re pissed off, or anything. Haha, that’s weird, but it’s true. Of course, for everybody, each song will invoke different emotions.

The I-C

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